acilic

RIBUNE

702 BES

SAN MM PE

SOVIET CHALLENGE

‘We'll end test

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1958

OFL

parley supports

two Ontario strikes

TORONTO

Two Ontario strikes commanding national

attention have been given the official backing of the Ontario
Federation of Labor, the country’s largest, in a determined move
to point up the need for increased solidarity of the trade union
movement against management’s current offensive.

Delegates of the 500,000-
l body voted at
ition last week
Mine - Mill strike

4

against International Nickel at

member ce

their cenver!

to back the
Sudbury and Port Colborne.
Declaring the

idarity with and support of

convention’s

their

with

resolution

employers,

was nevertheless

marred by a smear of militant
Mine-\ i

, contain-

with the

trade union move-

become associated

“legitimate”
ment.
How the OFL could declare

the STT1LK 2]
the striking

its support of
smelterworkers and brand the
union of their
mate, was something only the
top rightwing framers of
resolution

Earlier the OFL convention
urged support for
-workers at Stelco in Hamilton
and took up a f

collection of
close to $700 to aid the strike.

choice illegiti-
the
could answer.

the steel-

Leslie Morris (above), national
the
Labor-Progressive Party, will

executive member of
be the guest speaker at a pub-
lic meeting to be held Novem-
Auditorium

ber 9 in Pender

here.

Wh

I]

{| director M.

R

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THURSDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY

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make

— English Subtitles

2

if you do so’

UNITED NATIONS -

would stop nuclear tests at once if Britain and the United States would accept an imme

end to tests ‘for all time.”

A pledge was given to the UN last week that the Soviet Unie

diate

Soviet delegate Valerian Zorin said the U.S. proposal that the UN should “sit back oF
its haunches and await the deci-ions in Geneva” could not be accepted .

Speaking after Cabot Lodge,
he said the American dele-
gate’s speech had greatly dis-
appointed him, failing as it
did to submit “concrete pro-
posals relating to the cessation
of nuclear-weapon testing.”

Zorin charged the U.S. with
wanting to talk about the end-
ing of tests and other disarma-
ment questions, but do nothing
about it.

He said the U.S. had con-
ducted 140 tests altogether and
Britain 21, whereas, aceording
to the U.S. press, the Soviet
Union had carried out about 60.

The Soviet Union had, no
obligation to stop its tests until
it had equalled the total car-
ried out by Britain and the
U.S. since the Soviet Union
temporarily halted explosions
on March 31.

It was essential first of all
to discuss cessation of nuclear-
weapons testing. Solution of
this question, in the opinion of
the Soviet Union, was “fully
prepared.”

Continued testing and de-
velopment of nuclear weapons
accelerated the atomic arma-
ments. race and* made them
less expensive and more readi-
ly available to less-industrial-
ized countries. Thus a new as-
pect of the question could be
the “joining of the race by
other states.”

The atomic industry - in
France was being “developed
at full speed” and France was
preparing to test nuclear
weapons in the Sahara. There
were “serious indications” that
intensive preparations for nu-
clear weapons production were
also afoot in West Germany.

Referring to the rise in the
level of atomic radiation be-
cause of nuclear testing, Zorin
said the Assembly’s Scientific
Committee had already point-
ed to the danger. The Assembly
must deal with this warning
from the scientists. :

The question whether the
testing would be stopped or
continued “stirred the emo-
tions of the peoples of the
whole world because it direct-
ly affects the interests of every

human being regardless of
country or continent,” said
Zorin.

Bennett s

wage claifl

won't stand scrutiny

Special to Pacific Tribune

de
Premier W. A. C. Bennett had two good reasons for @
dressing the B.C. Government Employees Association con

yer

tion held in Georgia Hotel here last weekend — the first ti
he has done so since Social Credit came to power in 1952. : :
One reason was his need to mend his political fences; Pal
ip

ticularly if he has any intention of calling an early prov!

There been a
steady deterioration in

tions between the government

election. has

rela-

. oe e
and its civil servants as rep-

resented by BCGEA.

reached the
1957
when tne government’s arro-
gant attitude towards its em-
ployees and its persistent re-
fusal to give them collective
bargaining rights evoked the
threat of strike.

These relations

breaking point in July

His second reason was his
obvious desire to use the con-
vention platform in an effort
to soften the determination of
delegates to win an 11 percent
wage increase in 1959 and so
narrow the gap between gov-
ernment wage scales and pre-
vailing wages in private in-
dustry for comparable work.

Even the government’s own
Civil Service Commission has

indicated that the wage in-
crease is justified and _ the

membership of the BCGEA has
indicated its ‘temper by its
authorization of a strike vote
if necessary.

Bennett’s speech to dele-

gates centred around this ex-
travagant claim: “Since the

‘Social Credit government took

over the reins of administra-
tion in the province of British
Columbia, more improvements
have been made in the work-
ing conditions of government
employees than over any simi-
lar length of time in our his-
tory.”

To bolster this statement he
cited various figures ,contend-
ing that percentage increases
in salaries for certain classi-
fications over the period since

October 17, 1958 —

1952 had ranged as high @ :
to 59 percent. ‘di
How well does his C#m
stand up to examination?
He admittedly inclu
yearly increments. (It
from four to six years’
many government employ”
to reach their maxim
salary.) But increments: nol
ally: are regarded as P#”
the existing wage struc
and cannot be construed
wage increases. :
He also ignored the fact tt
the 7.5 percent wage incl® a 7
and other concessions ere
last year were won ha
job action by the BCG
which noted in a press ® it
ment commenting on Benne
claims:

SER

“The association agree "7
many improvements have ip
made in these condition, og
the past six years, put iy’
usually followed stone j
documented association
entations.

“However, in spite of “a
gains our comparable
is, if anything, less fav°™ am
; - . Wages have incre yittle
recent years, but by 0°"
and too late.” sack

Finally, there is the pot Th
also ignored by Bennetl ip f
all wage classificatlOP>'ye Th
government service 188 ~ . j
hind similar .classifical®
private industry. aid

The BCGEA howev@? 93
not ignore this in it rae
statement. As it pointed og
“The fact remains tha yal?
increases were in@ ‘5
Government employee wee,
even with the increase® 1968
behind in 1952, behind an
and behind’ in every y
between.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FA

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